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Dutch-based company Aviko, one of Europeâ€™s largest producers of fresh, frozen, dried and specialty potato products and part of Royal Cosun, has reached an agreement with Hongyuan Agriculture to acquire 90% of its shares in Hongyuan Louis.

Hongyuan Louis is a relatively young producer of frozen French fries located in Xilinhot, North of Bashang in China. The deal includes a factory with an annual capacity of 50.000 tons, potato storages, a semi-automatic cold store, boiler house, waste-water treatment and around 170 employees. Hongyuan Agriculture will stay involved as a 10% shareholder and closely cooperate with Aviko on amongst others the sourcing of potato.

Aviko has been active in China since 2007 with production activities in Gansu. In recent years, Aviko has successfully established a strong commercial distribution network for frozen potato products throughout China with a sales head office in Shanghai. Today, Aviko is recognized as one of the leading international brands for frozen potato products.

â€œWith an average market growth for frozen fries of 10% per year, China is of major strategic importance to Aviko. For us, the acquisition of Hongyuan Louis is just the perfect opportunity to complement our already strong Chinese commercial position with modern local production facilitiesâ€, says CEO Aviko Group Chris Deen. â€œThis deal will help us gain and sustain a prominent market position in Chinaâ€.

More and more Chinese customers are embracing Western culture, fashion and habits. This also translates into a rapidly growing popularity of western oriented menuâ€™s. Potatoes and potato products such as French fries are increasingly becoming a favorite part of daily nutrition.

â€œThis acquisition fits perfectly in Cosunâ€™s ambition to have a leading position in plant-based solutions. We believe that plant-based is key to a sustainable future for next generations. That is why we are committed to the growth strategy of Aviko, taking full advantage of the growing global markets for potato productsâ€, says Albert Markusse, CEO Cosun.

With activities in more than 110 countries and production locations in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Poland and China, Aviko is the fourth biggest potato products producing company in the world. The company is part of Royal Cosun, a 2-plus billion Euro Dutch cooperative, active in plant-based food, food & pet food ingredients, circular feed, biobased solutions and green energy.